State/city partnership addresses water woes

Issues with drought conditions in Cape Coral are being reformed, thanks to the recently approved Reservoir Pipeline Project.

State Rep. Dane Eagle spear-headed this proposition, filing an appropriations bill for $1,115,000 in state funds, a figure that will be matched by the city.

"The city came to me with this important issue and Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto and I worked for two years to get the appropriations bill passed. Water quality and quantity is an important issue for us. The bill was vetoed the first time by Gov. Rick Scott, but we took the time to educate him on why we need this money. The drought last year was a real eye-opener and we hope to be able to have the resources at hand if we were ever again in that situation," Eagle said.

Last month, Scott signed the state budget which included the city's Reservoir Pipeline Project.

"We want to thank Gov. Scott for supporting these two important projects, which will provide benefits that extend beyond the City of Cape Coral," said City Manager John Szerlag. "More importantly, we want to thank our local legislators, Rep. Dane Eagle and Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto, who worked on our behalf to ensure these projects were included in the final appropriations bill approved by the Legislature."

The state funding will be used to engineer, design, and permit a 3.5-mile pipeline from Southwest Aggregates Mining reservoir in south Charlotte County to Gator Slough in northeast Cape Coral.